The Bubonic Plague & A Hymnal:

The world isn't getting any better is it? Do you find yourself more and more frustrated, angry, and sometimes hopeless when you read or watch the news of the day. Government's making bad decisions. Hatred. Murder. You wonder, when will it all end? 

I'm in my second semester of graduate school.** I've been reading a challenging book (meaning - I'm struggling to understand the words), but in the middle of my reading, I found a story I've never heard before and knew I had to share. 

You've probably heard of a guy named Martin Luther (1483-1546), the earliest leader of the Reformation movement. One could talk about Luther's investment in the history of Christianity for months. I want to focus in on one little slice of time, 1527 to be exact:

In 1527, the bubonic plague swept throughout Germany, decimating the population, and eventually found its way to the tiny town of Wittenberg. Martin Luther was forced to confront the threat while tormented with various digestive-tract ailments of his own— so much so that he reached the point of despair. “I felt,” Luther wrote to his closest friend, Philipp Melanchthon, “completely abandoned by Christ.” Melanchthon himself had already fled the plague. Despite these convulsions, both personal and national, Luther intervened on behalf of the masses who were being stricken by the plague. The elector had begged him to leave, but the Reformer instead disseminated an essay entitled “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague,” and urged political leaders and church leaders to stay behind and set up homes for the sick. True to his word, Luther soldiered on in Wittenberg, lecturing to empty classrooms and returning home each night to his Katie and a house filled with those afflicted by the plague. In fact, their home remained under quarantine until after the plague had lifted. It was during these days that Luther penned the words to “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” (*1)

Here are the lyrics to the final verse:

That word above all earthly pow'rsNo thanks to them abidethThe Spirit and the gifts are oursThru Him who with us sidethLet goods and kindred goThis mortal life alsoThe body they may killGod's truth abideth stillHis kingdom is forever

Often, this song is believed to be addressing the attacks from the Roman Catholic church, but when we read the lyrics in light of the circumstances people were facing, it seems to have been more about what to do when there is no political solution to the threats society faces. 

It seems Christians fail to remember that Jesus is the hope for the world. Our money, political involvement, the systems of this world cannot fix the ultimate problem in this world. Sin. The United States of America cannot legislate a solution to it. (Or any other government, for that matter) The education system will not fix it. 

the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.  To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27) 

Did you catch that? We know the answer to the greatest problem in the world! It's not hidden from us. The world will scramble, trying to find cures and solve problems; not knowing the cures and solutions they are looking for only address symptoms of the bigger problem. 

In you lies the answer the world needs. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Disease may kill our bodies. Wars may destroy nations. Societal morality may crumble. Famines and natural disasters may decimate the population. Genocides, Abortion, Suicide, and all the world's woes may overwhelm us. Luther would put it this way: "This mortal life also, the body they may kill, God's truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever!" 

Live today with a sense of urgency that the world may know they've been looking for the wrong answer. Jesus is hope! Jesus is Truth! Jesus is life! Jesus is salvation! Jesus is in you! Jesus Christ is the hope for the world and He is IN you!

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**I should clarify...this is my second of something like 12 semesters - 1 class at a time. Don't be impressed.

(*1) Thornbury, Gregory Alan (2013-03-31). Recovering Classic Evangelicalism: Applying the Wisdom and Vision of Carl F. H. Henry (Kindle Locations 3090-3099). Crossway. Kindle Edition.